We are fully funded to go on our FL mission. Many thanks to you who helped cover our bills! Now please keep us in prayer as we leave in just a week.

Rough Month

Surgeries and sicknesses! I’ll spare you the details, but because of all this, we couldn’t do all the ministry we would have liked. For example, we canceled our Ex-Mormon Meetup the day we were supposed to have it. Nonetheless, I was still able to do some personal outreach to individuals… although all indoors.

LDS Missionaries

One day when I was trying to get over a cold, I really wanted to go minister out in front of a local high school. It was also pretty cold outside, but I really felt like doing some ministry outside of my home. I had to go get something at our local Walmart, and there I saw a couple missionaries. I approached them and briefly talked with them about the Lord. They wanted to get their lunch and get going. However, another pair of missionaries came up and I began to witness to them. I had a better time with them, because we had more time and they actually wanted to engage me somewhat. One of them became quite fidgety and seemed to get water in his eyes. I told them how concerned I was for them, and they thanked me for that. They gave me a few standard arguments, but they were quickly deconstructed and had nothing more to say. I challenged their thinking that Mormonism must be true since it gives them good feelings by comparing what they are offering to a drug. It has nothing to do with reality, but it makes them feel good. I told them that if they are teaching a false God and Jesus, then none of what they are doing really matters if they end up in hell.

Elderly Man

Later, I had to go to Costco and their bbq beef brisket sandwich looked really good for lunch. So I got one and sat across from an elderly man. I asked this guy how he was doing. He started complaining about the cold weather here. I asked him if he's lived here for a while. He said he moved up here from Louisiana like 53 years ago. I asked him what brought him up here. He said the Church. I asked him which church, and he said LDS. His former wife's friend was LDS and hooked them up with the missionaries, who told him a good story. So I asked the key question you always want to get to when witnessing to someone and want to get them questioning their own assumptions: “What makes you think their good story was true?” He said he doesn't claim to know if Mormonism is true, but he just chooses to think it is. He realizes a lot of the problems I brought up, and even gave me some more himself! Some gal the next table behind us said she was really enjoying listening to our conversation!

Walmart Checker

On another day, I was waiting in a line at Walmart behind a gal who had a lot of groceries and was price matching. Another check stand opened up, but before I knew it the couple behind me took it. They got out before I got checked. Something told me to just relax. When I finally got to the checker, she said that she liked my "Got Truth? www.JosephLied.com" shirt, and told me that she's with me, and that she and her daughter used to be Mormon. I gave her my card, and she'd like to come to one of our Ex-Mormon Meetups!

We Need Your Partnership!

We not only need your prayers, but we need your financial assistance as well. Keep in mind that your investment is not simply for us, but for the lives of others we reach with the gospel. The standard way to financially invest is by writing a check to Courageous Christians United (CCU). For more information on various ways to invest in this ministry, including online giving, please see our “Invest” page on any of our sites. Please keep in mind 1) this is our sole source for income, and 2) we have no financial guarantees each month. Ministry partners come and go as jobs do. If you’re not a partner, please consider joining our team and let us know soon. We’d love to be your missionaries here in Utah. Many thanks to those of you who hold us up in prayer and in your financial giving!

We expect God to provide for our needs through you. Why? Because the Bible is clear: “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14).

1. Health and protection for our whole family
2. Tara’s family to be saved
3. Wisdom in all our dealings
4. Strength to keep going

****MAILBAG****

The extra $100 is for the Florida trip. Glad you are going.

Thanks for standing up against Shawn at the "Inquisition", and calling a spade a spade. I am surprised that he framed this event this way after stating that this was an event to "voice concerns and criticism" about him and his ministry.

Having watched his last episode, it sounds like there is no repentance on the Trinity and other issues (Eternal Punishment, etc). He has fallen off the tracts or was never on them to begin with.

(P.S. --Marshall Alamarode saw this train wreck coming almost two years ago!)
See you at GC hopefully!
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Thanks for reaching out! [We] would love to partner with you on this trip and have given a donation online. Excited to hear about all of the ways God works on your trip! We will be praying for you guys. Gal 6:9
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Excellent newsletter as always. Did you ever get McCraney's book, "Born-again Mormon" when he was selling it? If not, I put the Amazon link below. It was interesting but I would have to dig it out and see what he wrote about the Trinity.

About the Trinity, I have found most Mormons when asked to describe the Trinity end up describing Modalism which is, of course, a heresy. I wonder, is that what he was describing? I had a friend who had doubts about the Trinity until I showed him the verses but what I said to him was that I didn't feel belief in this doctrine was essential to salvation because Romans 10:9-10 says otherwise.

[I replied:] No, I never got his book. I linked to the book in my 1st blog on S being a heretic.

If you read my blog about the Inquisition, I go into more detail about S's god, which has Modalistic elements to it, but isn't strictly Modalistic.

As for understanding the Trinity being essential to salvation, I also deal with that in the Inquisition blog. Basically, there's a difference between what's essential to get one justified before God and what's an essential doctrine of the Christian faith.
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We will be praying you have a GREAT trip. Wish we could join you.
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Random question...

I was reading Isaac the story of Adam and Eve this morning, & it dawned on me how American these names sound. Can I safely guess they've been translated into those names from more Biblical based/time period names??

What were the original names in Greek?

Also, I don't know if you've experienced this as you're raising children, but do you find that the Bible stories can seem to be pretty unrealistic or fantasy?? They were just read to me as a child as normal everyday stories but now, as a parent, striving to teach Isaac the Truth, I'm finding myself questioning how unrealistic some of these stories appear- ie- Jonah and the whale, Daniel & the lions den, etc...

Did you experience any of those moments where you stopped and wondered how fantasy they seem?

How would you advise a parent struggling with these questions?

Thanks Rob!

[I replied:] The names are Anglicized. The Hebrew is similar, but it's different. For example, Jesus is an Anglicized name of "Yeshua." The French for "Plato" is "Platon."

As for the miracle stories, I accept them since I don't have a problem with a God, who created the whole universe and holds it together, interacting in His creation whenever He deems appropriate. But why would I believe those stories in the Bible? Simply because our Lord Yeshua did, and He fulfilled prophecy and did weird miracles Himself... the primary one was raising Himself from the dead. That was testified by His disciples who gave their life for it, and as a result, the whole of western civilization was changed as a result. So I trust His judgment over my own natural one.
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Hi Rob,
I appreciated watching your presentation from HOTM. I was proud of the way you handled your presentation and continue to pray for a tender heart for Shawn.
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[I got the following from a Shawnite:] I heard the ‘inquisition’. I have really one thing to say, it is very wrong for you to blog away before confronting Shawn allowing him to explain his position. You embarrassed yourself by taking about a ‘plant’ and your lack of knowledge of scripture. I will be posting against you because supposed Christians like you shouldn't be representing our faith publicly.

You jumped the gun and I'm accusing you of dividing the body. Shawn has confessed Jesus Christ as Lord. He confessed that the Word became flesh. And just because he doesn't agree with that word ‘trinity’ you assassinate his ‘Christianity’?

Your use of Proverbs was a joke. You're just a conceded puffed up arrogant &*^%. And I said that with the most love I can bare. See you on your blog.

And Pastor Dale is an idiot. I cant believe you and him are speaking on our behalf.
You're not a humble person although you pretend to be. I cant believe you used Shawn's sure as a platform to gather your ‘flock’. Your post your resume as though you think that means something.

Anyone who jumps on someone else's site to steal their flock i a coward.

Even if I don't agree with everything Shawn says, I definitely don't agree with everything about you and will stand against you. I will blog you but I know the coward you are will block me from that. Fricking coward.

Shawn is right. It's time to challenge the word trinity.

[I replied:] Maybe you should read my blog before you jump the gun, since I clearly state that this matter isn't about using the term “trinity.”

[He replied:] You're an idiot. You had no idea what Shawn meant until the end of the show? Lol, you blogged on him and stole his sheep? To call someone a heretic on something that you don't even understand is just stupid. You're a coward.

Your definition of the trinity was heresy. The consciousness and that other crap is heresy. I agree with Shawn's overall view. Your an idiot.

[I replied:] I knew what he meant. The *doctrine,* not the term, was described as garbage and of pagan origin regardless of anyone, including Shawn, understood what he thinks of his God. So you don't know what you're talking about with me simply disagreeing about the term. I knew enough to know that Shawn is a heretic for denying that God's eternally existed in 3 different Persons. Here's what Rob Bowman concluded after last week's show, "Without making any judgment about Shawn as a believer or Christian, and with the hope that he may still change or correct what he has been teaching, I regretfully think that at present what he is articulating about the doctrine of God is heresy."

Further, no one is going to my church now because of this issue. I don't care what Christian church they go to, so long as they go to one... and Shawn's certainly isn't.

[He replied:] You're an idiot because you don't understand the biblical truth of JUSTIFICATION. Shawn was saved from Mormonism and just because he had a problem with the word trinity you denied Gods work and condemned him with Judas kiss.

That is why I think you're an idiot. You and that other idiot loudmouth baptist couldn't get your head out of your &^%$ to see what God is doing through Shawn.

And for you to steal People from his site is just unbelievable.

The interview with Robert Bowman was much modem professional and he along with me backed Shawn's views as not at all critical to his salvation and being a heretic.

I will definitely be on your site to expose the heretic you are. I will make sure that people know what you did and said. I will point them to your BS on that video and then to Bowman's video with Shawn.

It was obvious you spoke in an area you know nothing about and that is JUSTIFICATION OF ANOTHER BELIEVER.

[I replied:] You need to read my blogs before you go off, since I already dealt with theses issues. False conversions happen, and S is a likely candidate.

[He replied:] Don't need to read your blogs. I got your whole Judas Hug from the video. I have watched Shawn for quite some time and he is not a heretic. He was saved by grace in very similar circumstances that I was saved. I used to be a Catholic until I began QUESTIONING its dogma and practices.

Bit here is the real issues I have with you. I am married to a temple mormon who is from a family of temple mormons. They are devout in their faith. My wife has been hesitant to listen to Shawn until recently. When my wife did watch, God was using Shawn to reach my wife in a mighty way...until she saw you.

He witnessed you giving a judas hug. She witnessed you in the background denying the work God has done in Shawn's heart. She witnessed a witch hunt. She witnessed you calling him a heretic and so on.

Who the hell do you think you are? I happened to applaud Shawn's boldness to challenge our creeds fully knowing that he wasn't denying anything but questioning it.

If you knew what he meant you would have read between the lines and understood that His God is my God and if you truly have the Holy Spirit you would've known this.

The Director from IRR knew Shawn's heart and they communed as corrected and expanded on the questions Shawn had.

You didn't do that and therefore I question if you have Gods Spirit in you. You sought to burn Shawn at the stake and son did that idiot Baptist preacher of yours.

You truly are very wrong and an idiot and thief I boot.

Until you issue a formal apology, I will be your enemy. I will express these very issues on every and any post I can be on.

You basically knocked my wife for now out of searching. She saw the ugliness of biblical Christianity. Your behavior was a joke.

[I replied:] Well if you don't need to read my blogs on this matter, then I don't need to read your emails on this matter. The 1st paragraph is all I read. The rest is a waste of time... including for you for writing it.

[He replied:] “Shawn's theology on the trinity didn't deserve the witch hunt you and the other pastors gave. You gave a Judas hug and couldn't admit on air that you were wrong in your assumptions and actions. Shawn was wrong too in other areas but he apologized. YOU DIDNT.

I'm not going on your blog because that's what you want. I will combat you on youtube and around you. I will point people to the video and call out your actions.
You can stick your degrees up your *&%^.
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God Bless you Rob. You're such an inspiration to me. I was a Mormon for all of 3 weeks, until I researched what they actually believe in. I just met with the bishop of the ward, and handed him a letter to have my name removed. I've been on a spiritual path for my entire life, and came back to the real Jesus of the bible. I can't thank you enough for your guidance and inspiration that you've given me. God Bless you my friend.

...I want to begin evangelizing to Mormons, and was wondering if you would give me permission to use your website address on a sign. I would like to begin standing outside the ward here in Santa Barbara holding a sign. I however need to have some better armor in the Lord, and learn more about the Mormon beliefs.

Today I've been watching your YouTube video (Suffering and Joy in Evangelizing Mormons). It's so inspiring, and urges me to learn as much as I can regarding the Mormon belief. I do know some of what they believe, such as multiple Gods, as the book of Abraham states, however Alma:11 26-30, states that there's only one true God.

I want Mormons to know that they're following a false Jesus, and a false gospel, as Galatians 1:6 states.

I pray for you and your family, Rob, and please pray for me as well.

We will begin donating to your site in the coming days.

With Love
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i want ask abt karma ???

[I replied:] The Bible teaches you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7-9), but it also teaches grace (Eph. 2:8-9). Furthermore, the Bible teach resurrection not reincarnation. Karma is tied to reincarnation.

If we get what we deserve, we'd all get hell. But thank God His grace doesn't work with karma.